WHAT’S GOING ON WITH BABY?
Your Baby at 15 Weeks Pregnant
Baby’s growth and size
Baby should be a solid 4 inches now and weigh around 2.5 ounces. The growth is going to continue to pick up over the next several weeks and months.
What’s new developmentally?
Baby’s facial features continue to make their way to the appropriate anatomical places this week. Previously, baby’s eyes have been on the side of the head, but they are beginning to move closer towards the nose.
Baby’s ears, which used to somewhere on their neck are now positioned on the sides of the head – starting to look more and more like a baby each and every day!
Fun facts about your week 15 baby
- Baby is already working on breathing, sucking, and swallowing motions
- Bone ossification (hardening) begins this week
- Baby still have very thin and translucent skin
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH MAMA?
Week 15 of Pregnancy
Week 15 pregnancy symptoms
- Increase in energy – might be up for some of these pregnancy-safe exercises
- Increase in appetite
- Constipation
- Varicose veins
- Round ligament pain
- Hair and nail growth – thank you, hormones!
- Baby bump –this hair tie trick might keep you out of maternity clothes longer
- Heartburn
- Bloody and swollen gums
- Sinus congestion or rhinitis – safe OTC medications for pregnancy
- Pregnancy brain
How should I be feeling at 15 weeks pregnant?
Hopefully you are feeling pretty darn good this week. The seemingly debilitating early pregnancy symptoms have likely subsided by now! And if you have that bump popping out, you likely aren’t big enough yet for it to limit your activities.
Plus, if some of your energy has returned, in addition to the nausea subsiding, you might even be feeling up for some exercise or physical activity – which can help boost the mood too!
This is a really good time to start thinking about what to put on a registry and baby’s nursery – how exciting! My free second trimester prep pack includes a baby registry checklist!
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
More Week 15 Info
15 weeks pregnant ultrasound
If you have had adequate prenatal care from the beginning of your pregnancy, you should have had a first trimester ultrasound. If you opted to have the Nuchal Translucency screening done to assess for potential chromosomal anomalies, that should have been done between weeks 11 and 14.
It is a time sensitive screening and is not something that is or should be done after week 14. You can expect to have a second trimester ultrasound, commonly known as the anatomy scan, but it is done between weeks 18 and 21.
If your pregnancy is low risk, without complications, you probably will not be having an ultrasound at 15 weeks. If, however, your pregnancy is considered high risk for any reason, you might have an ultrasound done at this time.
If an ultrasound is done at 15 weeks, there is a small chance your provider can determine baby’s sex, but it’s dependent on baby’s position.
Spotting in the second trimester
Light bleeding or spotting in the second trimester is typically not a cause for concern. But you still need to notify your provider if you have any amount of bleeding during pregnancy just to be safe!
Increased blood flow in pregnancy can make your cervix extra sensitive and vascular. As a result, things like sex or a pelvic exam can irritate it and make it bleed a little bit.
Like I said, even though it’s usually benign, still let your provider know just to make sure there’s nothing else going on! You can find more information about bleeding in my Instagram post here.
Not feeling pregnant at 15 weeks
Not to worry, this is a fairly common “concern” especially for first time moms. A lot of your first trimester symptoms have probably (and hopefully) disappeared and your belly might not be popping just yet.
When your belly pops isn’t exactly a “one size, fits all” scenario. Pregnancy affects everyone’s body in a different way and at a different pace. It’s not uncommon for women carrying their first baby to show later than those that have been pregnant before. In addition, body shape and size can also impact it.
So if you find yourself without pregnancy symptoms and “bump-less”, try not to worry too much, you should start feeling pregnant in due time.
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOUR BUMP?
15 Weeks Pregnant Belly
TIPS & RESOURCES FOR WEEK 15
Tips for 15 Weeks Pregnant
- Continue taking your prenatal vitamin – taking it at night or with food might help it go down easier – these are the ones I took during my pregnancy (Ritual)
- Aim to drink 10 glasses of water a day (easier said than done, I know)
- Consider investing in a pregnancy pillow – I have a couple on my Amazon Storefront to help you narrow your search
- Familiarize yourself with pregnancy safe exercises and the benefits for whenever you feel ready to get your bump moving
- Get a pregnancy planner or journal if you haven’t already
- Establish healthy sleep habits
- Start documenting your bump with a weekly picture if you haven’t yet– I used the Baby Story: Pregnancy Pictures app during my pregnancies
- Start thinking about a baby moon if you plan on taking one
- Make a point to check in with your mental health – it’s never too early to start doing this
- Sign up for my free second trimester prep pack to receive my second trimester checklist, baby registry checklist, and old wives’ tales checklist
- Sign up for MLN weekly pregnancy updates to stay up to date on everything going on with your pregnancy. So much good information, and it’s all free!
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